In order to compare the behavioral problems and competencies reported for clinic-referred and nonreferred (normal) children, a survey of 1300 randomly selected parents in the Washington, D.C. area was conducted. Home interviewers administered the Child Behavior Checklist to parents of 50 boys and 50 girls at each age 4 through 16. The results have been compared with parental reports of problems and competencies for clinically referred children matched to the nonreferred children for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and race in order to provide a unique epidemiological baseline for research on child psychopathology and the effectiveness of various treatments.